13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A masterpiece, June 30, 2006
UPDATE: Please note that although the text above the review correctly says which edition I reviewed, the review also appears with other editions of The Kid. This review DOES NOT APPLY to other editions, many of which are poor quality prints. Make sure you are looking at
The Kid (2 Disc Special Edition).
In an era when silent films were cranked out quickly and were far from an art form, Chaplin decided to take a new approach. Although this film started out as another short film, by the time it was done, Chaplin had spent a year on it, and had taken more shots and retakes than perhaps had been done for any film in history. By completion, it had grown into a six reel feature film.
I hesitate to use the word artistry, because it sounds like one of those words used for films that only critics tend to appreciate. But this film is both artistic and accessible. If you are not used to silent films, or the ones you have seen either lacked continuity or were hard to follow, you will find this as easy to watch as any modern film, and find that it tells a story as well as the best of films.
This edition features the musical score written by Chaplin, which underscores both the comedy and the drama of this movie. A host of features on the second DVD give you a feel for the background and the era.
If you are a Chaplin fan, this movie is a must have. If you are not a Chaplin fan, but are curious what all the fuss is about, this movie will let you know.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Caution: Buy the MK2 Box Set, not the "Enhanced Version"!, January 15, 2011
Rest assured my one star review is NOT for the film itself, Charlie Chaplin's THE KID, one of my favorite movies. I'm hoping my rating raises a flag to potential buyers of a particular DVD version of the film--i.e., THE KID (ENHANCED EDITION). My negative comments DO NOT APPLY to the MK2 version, as will be obvious if you trouble to read the entire review (which you should if you are thinking about purchasing the film).
Amazon is getting increasingly sloppy in terms of supplying accurate information about its products, and this is a prime example. Apparently the product on sale here is a single disc DVD-R version of THE KID (which multiple customers have complained about, reporting it has no music track).
The Editorial Review, however, is for an entirely different product altogether, the MK2/Warner Bros 12-disc set, THE CHAPLIN COLLECTION, VOLUME 2, which was out-of-print but as of this writing seems to be available again. See below:
The Chaplin Collection, Vol. 2 (City Lights / The Circus / The Kid / A King in New York / A Woman of Paris / Monsieur Verdoux / The Chaplin Revue / Charlie - The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin)To add to the confusion, most of the 5 star reviews pasted here are obviously referring to the MK2 set, not the single disc version of THE KID. Needless to say, it's extremely misleading to transfer all the laudatory reviews for a brilliant box set to the home page of what is apparently a shoddily produced single DVD-R. (Maybe the reason there's no soundtrack is because it's still under copyright, while to the best of my knowledge the film itself is in the public domain.)
I did my best to update the product information through the website, but this proved to be an exercise in sheer frustration: Amazon's automated list of questions doesn't let you get at this particular problem (which is rampant throughout the site, especially in the MP3 department).
I fully expect this to come full circle: Amazon will transfer this review to the home page of THE CHAPLIN COLLECTION, VOLUME TWO, where it will receive lots of unhelpful votes and inspire outraged comments. Urgghh. But at least this is the sort of machine age irony that Chaplin himself would have found funny.
Chaplin was arguably the greatest filmmaker ever. See all his movies. Buy as many as you can afford, because they all improve with repeated viewings. Just be aware of what you're buying (and as a rule of thumb, avoid DVD-Rs, an unstable, easily damaged format). Let Amazon know it's not right to give out misleading information about their products.
P.S. As predicted, Amazon HAS transferred this review from where it was originally posted [under The Kid (Enhanced) 1921] to The Chaplin Collection, Vol. 2 (City Lights / The Circus / The Kid / A King in New York / A Woman of Paris / Monsieur Verdoux / The Chaplin Revue / Charlie - The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin) (1931). Sigh. To reiterate: the 12-disc MK2/Warner Bros set is wonderful; the "enhanced" DVD-R of The Kid is by most accounts woeful.
P.P.S. Amazon has finally--after I wrote to them--unlinked this edition of THE KID with the MK2 box set. They have also deleted the erroneous Editorial Review. Those are improvements. However, this 2-disc public domain product is apparently still linked to the MK2 2-disc edition (which is probably the sole reason why it still retains a very high rating from Amazon customers).
The Kid (2 Disc Special Edition)The MK-2 edition has been beautifully restored and includes many wonderful special features, including "Chaplin Today: The Kid," a 26-minute documentary by Alain Bergala with the participation of Abbas Kiarostami (!); "How to Make Movies," a 16-minute Chaplin short from 1918; deleted scenes; a brief introduction by David Robinson, Chaplin's biographer; newsreel footage; footage of Jackie Coogan dancing in 1920; "My Boy," a 55-minute film starring Jackie Coogan and Albert Austin made shortly after "The Kid" (no soundtrack; not restored), etc. I have no idea what the special features are on this set, but note the company's name: Public Domain Flicks. Also note that these discs are DVD-Rs.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Among Chaplin's finest!, January 1, 2004
By A Customer
I am so pleased to learn this film is finally being released on DVD. I have owned "The Kid" on videotape for about ten years, and it is showing great wear and tear! Young Jackie Googan stole the show from Chaplin, yet the Little Tramp didn't seem to mind. An extraordinarily touching film, suitable for the entire family! A splendid way to introduce children to the wonderful world of silent cinema! I cannot recommend this film highly enough!
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